Set up for detecting political vendetta and implication in criminal cases registered during a decade-long rule of the SAD-BJP combine, the two-member commission of inquiry on Tuesday submitted its fifth interim report recommending action, mainly cancellation of FIRs, in 41 cases, taking the total number of such cases to 258, so far.
In a major embarrassment to the Akali Dal, the Commission, headed by the former acting Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Justice (retired) Mehtab Singh Gill, has recommend cancellation of FIRs against Gurdaspur’s former Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Vijay Sayal, and Sikh religious preacher Baljit Singh Daduwal.
In both cases, the Commission described it as “culmination of vendetta resulting from their refusal to obey the diktats of former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal and former Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia”.
Sayal was falsely implicated in a FIR registered by Faridkot Vigilance Bureau for challaning the Orbit Bus, owned by the Sukhbir, who was also holding the portfolio of Home Department at that time.
A corruption case was registered against Sayal in April 2016, “for cheating, forgery and other offences under Section 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), along with provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
In the case against Daduwal, the Commission did not find anything seditious in his speech at the Sarbat Khalsa congregation held on November 10, 2015, and recommended the cancellation of two FIRs against him.
The two FIRs were registered on November 12, 2015, and December 6, 2015, on the charges of sedition — one after the Sarbat Khalsa, which was organised on November 10, 2015, in Chaba village in Amritsar district, and another after the firing incident at Bargari in Faridkot district where a congregation was held at Behbul Kalan village after the incident of sacrilege.
Daduwal, jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib appointed by Sarbat Khalsa, has notably claimed before the Commission that Sukhbir Badal and his brother-in-law Majithia had offered him to make head priest of any Takht (temporal seat) for not participating in 2016 Sarbat Khalsa congregation alleging that he was falsely implicated after he denied their “offer”.
He had claimed that the then Deputy Chief Minister and the then Revenue Minister came to him before the Sarbat Khalsa on November 6, 2015 and requested him not to attend the congregation saying that his any demand would be granted.
In total, 159 complaints have been taken up in the fifth report, out of which 118 have been dismissed for lack of jurisdiction or for being without merit.
Justice Gill apprised the Chief Minister that as many as 41 complaints had been allowed, in which action has been proposed mainly for cancellation of FIRs, said a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office.
Of 655 complaints examined till date, the Commission has recommended relief in 258 while dismissing the remaining 397.
In the first interim report submitted on August 23, 2017, out of 178 complaints, 58 complaints were dismissed and relief was given to 120 complainants.
In the second interim report submitted a month later on September 23, 2017, out of 106 complaints, 59 were dismissed and in 47 complaints relief was given to the complainants.
The third interim report was submitted on October 23, 2017, wherein of a total of 101 complaints, 81 were dismissed and relief was provided in 20.
In its fourth interim report, submitted on November 30, 2017, 111 complaints were dealt with. Of these, 81 complaints were dismissed and relief was given to 30 complainants.